This Is The Single Most Important Thing Older Adults Can Do To Prepare For A Natural Disaster

An elderly woman is carried by a Louisiana National Guardsman after gunshots were heard as people were evacuated from the Superdome in New Orleans 01 September 2005. The Superdome was meant to be a hurricane refuge, but those who sought shelter there described a lawless, squalid 'concentration camp' where two children were reportedly raped and other refugees terrorized by rioters.(ROBERT SULLIVAN/AFP/Getty Images)

“Make yourself known.” It’s the single most important thing older adults can do to prepare for the anticipated natural disaster heading with a vengeance toward the Florida Peninsula and the southeastern United States today and in any disaster that will follow. It’s good advice from a registered nurse with over three decades of experience serving seniors.

And it couldn’t come at a better time.

As pickup trucks pulling johnboats lined the Texas highways and would-be volunteers headed for the Lone Star state in the wake of Hurricane Harvey last month, the nation turned its eyes to a segment of disaster victims that sometimes slips our minds. A modest photo of a room full of nursing home residents in a Dickinson, Texas facility brought an extraordinary amount of attention to older adults and their vulnerability in times of disaster.

We’ve all seen it. One woman sitting in a recliner chair examining a piece of clothing, another perched on the seat of her walker as they and others waited out Hurricane Harvey, waist-deep and seemingly unconcerned about the ruination surrounding them. An old-fashioned hot air popcorn maker sat in three feet of water in the background.

Though the nursing home residents were later rescued and all are said to be doing well, the photo, taken by Trudy Lampson, owner of La Vita Bella assisted living facility in Dikinson and posted on Twitter, drew widespread attention to the plight of some of the most vulnerable in our society.

So what precautions can caregivers or adult children of older adults take to help their loved ones or charges ride the storm out or in some cases, more importantly, what can they do to prepare themselves?

An elderly man is helped into a garbage truck as he evacuates from the Walkers Mark Townhomes in Houston on August 30, 2017, as the fourth largest city in the US battles with tropical storm Harvey and resulting floods.Monster storm Harvey made landfall again Wednesday in Louisiana, evoking painful memories of Hurricane Katrina's deadly strike 12 years ago, as time was running out in Texas to find survivors in the raging floodwaters. (THOMAS B. SHEA/AFP/Getty Images)

CNN tweeted Thursday, “It's official: No storm on record, anywhere on the globe, has maintained winds 185mph or above for as long as #Irma.” The cable news channel followed that with this tweet: “Only 3 Category 5 hurricanes have made US landfall." They were Hurricane Andrew, August 16-18, 1992, Hurricane Camille, August 14-22, 1969, and the unnamed 'Labor Day' Hurricane, August 29 through September 10, 1935.”

“If Hurricane Irma strikes South Florida as projected, it would become only the fourth Category 5 storm to ever make landfall in the US mainland,” CNN reported. “It's been 25 years since the last Category 5 storm, Hurricane Andrew, made landfall on Florida's southern east coast.”

Knowing that Florida is a hot spot for retiring seniors (over 23% of the population are seniors), the elderly are in very real danger. A study published in 2014 by the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH), “Preparedness for Natural Disasters Among Older US Adults: A Nationwide Survey” sought to determine natural disaster preparedness levels among older US adults and assess factors that may adversely affect their health and safety during such disasters. The authors concluded that, “Despite both greater vulnerability to disasters and continuous growth in the number of older US adults, many of the substantial problems discovered are remediable and require attention in the clinical, public health and emergency management sectors of society.”

The study also found that two-thirds of the seniors surveyed had no emergency plan, had never participated in any disaster preparedness educational program and were not aware of the availability of relevant resources.

NEW ORLEANS - SEPTEMBER 01: Women rejoice while being evacuated from high water to a highway September 1, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Rescue efforts continue as officials in New Orleans fear the death toll from Hurricane Katrina could be in the thousands. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Another study published in 2009 in Risk Analysis, an international journal published by the Society for Risk Analysis by Sebastiaan N. Jonkman found that of the 1,100 fatalities in the state of Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina, “the majority of victims were elderly: nearly 60% of fatalities were over 65 years old” and were ultimately the result of drowning and of illness or injury brought on by being trapped in houses surrounded by water.

TOPSHOT - A woman is evacuated on a canoe as people escape flood waters in Lakeside Estate in Houston, Texas on August 30, 2017.Monster storm Harvey made landfall again Wednesday in Louisiana, evoking painful memories of Hurricane Katrina's deadly strike 12 years ago, as time was running out in Texas to find survivors in the raging floodwaters. / AFP PHOTO / Thomas B. Shea (Photo credit should read THOMAS B. SHEA/AFP/Getty Images)

Sharon Roth Maguire is a registered nurse and chief clinical quality officer with BrightStar Care®. With 315 offices in 37 states, BrightStar provides skilled and unskilled senior and child care services at home as well as in nursing facilities, “from the simplest companion care to the most complex skilled services,” Maguire said.

Maguire has had over 30 years experience as a nurse practitioner and 15 years in senior disaster preparedness. She offered several tips for seniors themselves as well as families that seek to keep their loved ones safe in any natural disaster.

The single most important thing an older adult can do to protect themselves, according to Maguire, is to, “Make yourself known.”

“Who knows they’re there?” Maguire asked. “There can be a limited awareness of these individuals—people quietly living alone. The first action should be what kind of circle can I enlist to make sure I’m not an unknown entity. This is the time to reach out to a neighbor, a church, a community. Look to that circle of support. Now is the time to make that phone call to a church or relative. The worse thing that could happen is that there is an unknown survivor—that no one knows they are there.”

Medications are also critical, especially if the senior’s life depends on them. Maguire again recommends counting on a support system. “"Get prescriptions filled ahead of time. Medications for older adults are critical,” she said. “There may be an extra charge, but it is well worth the money.”

Stocking up on water is a given for everyone in a disaster situation, especially older adults. “Older adults get dehydrated easily,” Maguire said. “Their natural inclination to drink is blunted, especially with frail adults.”

Maguire also recommends having a “telephone tree” of sorts. “Telephones may be out of order. It is important to have a telephone tree with individuals who are aware of the circumstances.”

And count on exposure to contaminated water, Maguire said. “There is no way you can prevent exposure to water in hurricanes the size of what we’re expecting,” she said. “If you have been exposed to that kind of water, get out of the clothes as quickly as possible and shower if possible. But if you are unable to shower, at least wipe down with bleach disinfectant wipes. While this is not something you would normally do, there is no running water, and you need to wipe down with that kind of product.”

Of course, Maguire said, rinse the product off as soon as possible with a water-soaked wash cloth, as the disinfectant wipes can be irritating to older skin. This can be done with bottled water if that is all you have access to.

“The water these seniors were exposed to in the picture [at La Vita Bella assisted living facility in Dikinson, Texas] was heart-wrenching for us all,” Macguire said. “They were exposed to all of that bacteria. Using antiseptic wipes that many people have in their homes to clean their homes is a reasonable strategy if you have nothing else.”

Beyond the practical things that most people think of including water, batteries, flashlights and other portable lights, Maguire said always consider any mechanical instruments that are needed for survival. These may include respiratory equipment such as ventilators and oxygen tanks and equipment related to feeding and nutritional procedures. “Make sure you have adequate power supplies for these things, including backup generators and battery backups. Get extra oxygen tanks to last a week or two. And again, make yourself known. Call power companies and let them know you are there. They make vulnerable people a higher priority for restoration of power for life-sustaining equipment. There are people at power companies who are aware of these things.”

And it may not be too late to reach out to local home-care agencies that have plans in place to deal with disaster situations, Maguire said, if for nothing else than to get food for older adults at this late stage in the game. “Home-care agencies out there can still be called to see if they can help. It is in the nature of home-care agencies to provide last minute care needs. A home-care agency ought to be able to respond. They have standards on 24/7 services and emergency care in this kind of crisis. Get someone there to make a plan.” She cautions, however, to utilize an agency that follows national standards for emergency care and has nurses overseeing care.

BrightStar is such an agency, as it follows standards for national care and dealt with emergency preparedness and care during Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey, she said, as well as in Houston during Hurricane Harvey.

Senior centers may also have plans in place to provide meals.

It’s one thing if you’re the one in charge of an older adult’s emergency plan and they live with or near you. But it’s another thing entirely to trust your loved one to another person, especially a stranger or staff in an assisted living community or nursing home.

DailyCaring.com summarizes an article from Next Avenue on questions to ask in evaluating emergency preparedness in these facilities including detailed emergency plans, readiness for power outages, what to do during a fire or flood and protection from theft or intruders.

Maguire said younger people should reach out to help and older people should let them. “It honestly is never too late to plan and reach out to a support system,” she said. “The great thing about a disaster is it brings out the best in people in the worst of times. Simple acts of kindness can make a tremendous impact. If you are part of the greater community, find out if you have older frail neighbors and check in on them. Are there older adults that haven’t prepared who you can help? We have all heard the stories: ‘No one knew she was there.’ There are people there who are willing and able to help. Older people often try to be stoic and self-reliant. Now is not the time to insist on being independent. You need help. You deserve help, and there are people who want to help. You have to make yourself known.”

According to The Weather Channel, Hurricane Irma has already proven to own the strongest winds since Hurricane Wilma on October 19, 2005, which had maximum sustained winds of 185 mph. “Irma's maximum sustained winds have so far maxed out at 185 mph. Those winds are well above the 157 mph Category 5 threshold and are the highest registered in any Atlantic hurricane since 2005. Only three other hurricanes have had winds of 185 mph or greater, including Wilma (2005), Gilbert (1988) and Allen (1980), according to Dr. Phil Klotzbach, a tropical scientist at Colorado State University. Allen had the strongest winds of those four hurricanes, maxing out at 190 mph in early August 1980.”

Irma has already had the longest duration of 185 mph winds anywhere in the world and the lowest central pressure in a decade, according to The Weather Channel. “Irma's winds were at 185 mph for 33 hours as of late Wednesday evening. That's the longest a tropical cyclone has maintained winds at that level or stronger anywhere in the world, according to Klotzbach.”

A lower pressure means a more intense hurricane in terms of its winds and overall destructive potential.

The Weather Channel also reported that 2017 could be the first year with two U.S. Category 4 landfalls. “The first Category 4 landfall was Hurricane Harvey which roared ashore near Rockport, Texas, with 130 mph winds on Aug. 25. In historical records dating to 1851, the U.S. has never been struck by two Category 4 or stronger hurricanes in the same year, according to Bob Henson, a meteorologist with wunderground.com.”

I was the girl who stayed at grandma’s table after the others went out to play. I relished stories like grandpa’s tale of the American Indian woman who was laid to rest along the Santa Fe Trail in Kansas in an area that would become his front yard. I grew to become the you...